Payment milestones in the construction contract are disconnected from the actual physical progress of the works, creating a high risk of overpayment.
Payment management is a core control point in contract execution. The disconnection between construction contract payment milestones and actual physical progress, along with the risk of overpayment, is a relatively common weakness in construction management. Payment milestones rely too heavily on time-based nodes rather than physical progress milestones; some contracts stipulate monthly payment of progress payments, and at the time of payment approval, the supervisor has not yet confirmed the actual completed quantities. Payment milestones lack strong physical progress significance and are insufficiently clear in node definition and acceptance criteria, leaving room for contractors to obtain funds by falsely reporting progress in advance. Lax process acceptance management exacerbates the overpayment risk; some supervision units sign quantity confirmation sheets based solely on contractor progress reports. From an operational impact perspective, the consequences of overpayment risk are twofold. For the developer, overpaid funds are tied up with the contractor; should the contractor experience a cash flow break or default and exit, there is a risk that the paid amounts cannot be recovered. From cost data, projects with lax management typically see overpayment ratios of 5%–12% of contract value due to the disconnection between payment and progress. Core measures to address this issue include explicitly linking payment milestones to physical progress milestones in the construction contract and setting payment nodes with clear physical milestone significance; establishing a joint confirmation system for physical progress before payment, whereby the supervision unit, cost consulting unit and developer jointly verify and confirm completed physical quantities item by item; and establishing an overpayment risk early-warning mechanism. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management. From the systems engineering perspective of construction management, resolving this issue requires coordinated advancement across four dimensions: institutional design, process control, technical support and cultural development. At the institutional design level, clear responsibility boundaries and operating procedures must be established, translating regulatory requirements into executable job responsibilities and work standards. At the process control level, full-lifecycle quality supervision and dynamic correction must be implemented to ensure that the work results of each stage meet expected goals. At the technical support level, information-based methods and intelligent tools should be actively introduced to improve the precision and efficiency of management. At the cultural development level, quality awareness and compliance awareness must be cultivated among all staff to foster an organizational atmosphere pursuing excellence. Only by organically integrating these four dimensions can the recurring quality defects and management chronic issues in construction be fundamentally resolved, achieving continuous improvement and excellence in project management.